Flexible working. Good for people, good for business

The most recent CIPD* survey demonstrates that employees who work flexibly are more emotionally engaged and satisfied with work, and less likely to quit. Recent legislation also puts flexible working at the top of the agenda.

The latest Workplace Employment Relations Survey, sponsored by Acas and the Department of Trade & Industry, shows the number of workplaces offering staff the opportunity to work flexibly has almost doubled in the past six years. Flexible working is here to stay because it’s widely recognised as being good for people and good for business.

An antidote to the inflexibility of full-time employment

Flexible and part-time working are also fantastic problem-solvers compared to current ‘conventional’ working practices. For example, let’s say you have a valuable member of staff who leaves to have a child and then wants to return to work, but only part-time. Meanwhile, you need the role to maintain full-time hours, but you don’t want to lose your employee. Flexible working can solve the problem with an easy-to-set up job sharing arrangement, with the other half of the part-time team sourced by an organisation like Women Like Us. Two people, one job, more flexibility, and the same cost to your business.

Helping your business to grow

If you’re a commercial business, let’s also not forget profit. Flexible working is happening at many of the UK’s largest corporates, and not just because it’s good for their staff. Flexible working can provide extended access to services and staff who are no longer confined to the nine to five, making you more versatile as a business and enabling greater capacity, more sales and faster growth.

The hidden cost of conventional working

On the flip side, if your business doesn’t offer flexible working where there is clearly an argument for it, you could lose out in terms of retention and emotional engagement of existing employees, and the recruitment of high-calibre talent. Replacing lost staff is costly. According to Opportunity Now, it could set you back about £3,000 per recruit. Reduced stress also results in reduced sickness absence. Eleven days off sick for an employee earning £15,000 will cost your business roughly a further £700. Personal commitments can also be fulfilled more easily in employees’ own time, so fewer dental appointments in the middle of the working day or late starts because of a must-see class assembly.

Small change, big difference

Work done by the organisation Working Families points out that the key to successful flexible working is a partnership: open communication, flexibility and jointly concentrating on results. A small change to an employee’s working hours can make a big difference to how that person fulfils his or her commitments, often releasing more energy to be channelled into work.

It works for Women Like Us

As you might expect, here at Women Like Us we model flexible working in our workplace, which has allowed us to reach the finals of the Working Families Employer of the Year small business award. And it’s what underpins that nomination that makes us really proud. Because our employees are living our values of flexibility and individuality, the ‘product’ we sell to our clients is real and tangible for our people, every day they’re working for us, and every day they’re not. This creates high levels of energy, enthusiasm and commitment, which is what leads to the excellent feedback from our clients that helps win us awards.

_{* The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development}